


Sick Dads & Worried Fathers

by GachMoBrea



Series: The Unexpected Series [15]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Barry is the Nurse, Doctor Caitlin, Family Feels..., Gen, OOC, Sick Len!, Sickfic, Smart Kids, Two Chapters with Two POV, Worried Barry, Worried Wentworth, fluff?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-01
Updated: 2016-05-01
Packaged: 2018-06-05 15:02:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6709678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GachMoBrea/pseuds/GachMoBrea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: Len gets sick after helping Wentworth get over his cold. The boy is doing fine now, but now Len isn't so well. Lisa is with Cisco, so when his vision swims he calls Barry, "Barry I need you-" a loud shout and Barry rushes over not bothering to worry about his secret identity...</p><p>Chapter One is from Barry's POV. <br/>Chapter Two is from Len's POV.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Barry

Barry is elbow deep in work at the CCPD when his cell phone rings. After being so focused on the work, the noise startles the speedster. He catches the three vials that fall before they can break and sighs in relief.   
His phone is still ringing.  
"Yeah, yeah," Barry removes a glove to answer, smiling at the name "Len" displayed on the screen. "Hello?"  
"Barry," Len sounds terrible on the other side of the line, like he can't get enough air into his lungs, Barry is immediately standing. "I need you-"  
Len cuts himself off with a shout and the line goes dead.

Barry's heart skips a beat and he speeds out of his lab and towards the Snart household.

It's not even the fact that Len sounded terrible over the phone. The worst part about the call, the thing that had ice flowing through Barry's veins, was the fact Len said he 'needed' Barry.  
Len never said he 'needed' anything. The word might as well be out of the man's vocabulary. The older man was self sufficient and didn't let others do what he was capable of doing himself.  
"I need you" fueled the speedster, making him ignore possibilities of revealing his secret identity and starting fires in the dead grass of a few lawns as he took the shortest route to Len's house.

His clothes are on fire the second he stops moving in the living room. He pats himself down as best as he can, but he'll need a change of clothes.  
But that can wait for later. Right now he needs to find Len.  
"Len!" Barry shouts, checking the bottom floor before dashing up the stairs in a trail of lightning, "Len!"  
"Ba-Achoo!" A voice answers from Len's bedroom. Barry's there in time to see the man reaching for a tissue.  
Wentworth is on the floor amidst towers of books. The bookshelf is completely empty and Leo is sitting across from the little boy.  
"Day!" his son greets with a smile and wave.  
"Hey, buddy," Barry sags against the doorframe, overwhelming relief making it hard to stand, "You're okay."  
"Sorry, Barry," Len's voice is completely off. It's stuffed and more gravely than it should be, "I broke my phone" -Achoo!- "when I called you and didn't" -Achoo!- "know the number for" -Achoo!- "your lab."  
Len's face is pale, except for his bright red nose and cheeks. There's sweat rolling down the sides of his face and he's shivering.  
"What happened to you?" Barry is at his side in three long strides. He puts his hand to the other man's forehead and it practically burns him, "Woah, you're really sick."  
Len weakly pushes Barry's hand away, which sets off more alarm bells in the speedster's head, "I didn't call you" -Achoo!- "here for me."  
Barry hands Len another tissue and Len smiles his thanks.  
"What do you mean? You're sick! Someone should be here to take care of you!" Barry really, really hopes the man won't fight him on this, but Len's shaking his head and he knows his hopes are a fantasy.  
"Wentworth," Len croaks, "Take care of him."  
Len breaks into a coughing fit as Barry turns his attention to their son reading happily to his stuffed animal.  
"He seems fine to me," Barry frowns, "You're the one who looks miserable."  
Sighing, Len shakes his head, "I don't want" -Cough- "him to get sick" -Cough, Cough- "again."  
Talking is making everything worse. Barry flashes a notebook and pen to Len so he can write it instead, "Here."  
Len smiles, taking the pen to write:   
"Wentworth just got over a bad cold. I don't want him getting sick again. Lisa is away with Cisco. Please, take our son to your house until I'm better."

By the time Len's done writing, he's breathing heavily and his eyes are half closed. He looks absolutely exhausted and there's no way Barry's going to leave him alone.  
"There's no way I'm leaving you alone, Len," Barry tells him firmly, "I'm calling Caitlin over and when she gets here I'll take Worthy to my place."  
Len opens his mouth to argue, but Barry raises a hand to stop him, "I'm not going to change my mind, so you might as well save your strength."  
Len rolls his eyes, but nods, looking over to Worthy as their son giggles. His eyes are barely open now and Barry's heart clenches at the sight.  
Carefully, Barry puts a hand on Len's shoulder, drawing the attention of the other man. Barry smiles slightly, "Get some rest. I'll be right here."  
The ex-criminal nods minutely, barely a nod at all, then his eyes drift closed and his shoulders slump as he falls asleep.

"Da?" Worthy looks over to his father, his eyes watery as his lip quivers, "Da?"  
"Oh, no, don't worry, Wentworth," Barry smiles, going over to his son's side, "Daddy just needs to take a little nap because he doesn't feel well."  
The little boy sniffles, "Da o-tay?"  
"He will be, buddy, he will be," Barry pulls his son into a hug and lifts him up, Leo the lion goes with them, held tightly in the little boy's hand.

Barry turns the light off in the bedroom and takes Wentworth downstairs to make the call to Caitlin. Wentworth stops sniffling, but he cuddles close to Barry's chest, holding Leo tightly to his own small body.  
Caitlin answers after the first ring, "Hi, Barry!"  
"Caitlin, can you come over to the Snart house and check on Len?" Barry keeps his voice low, but doesn't whisper.  
"Oh, no, Len got sick too?" Caitlin sighs on the other end, "Worthy was sick last week."  
"What? Why didn't anyone tell me?" Barry shouldn't be angry, it's not Caitlin's fault she doesn't tell him every little interaction she has with the Snarts, but his mind keeps thinking of Len's sick face and horrid cough.  
"Barry," Caitlin's voice is soft over the phone, putting the speedster's anxiety at ease, "It was just a little cold. Kids get sick all the time. I'll be right over to check on Len, okay?"  
Barry takes a breath, "Yeah, I'm sorry. Thanks, Caitlin."  
"You're welcome, Barry. See you soon." She ends the call and Barry takes another breath. Everything was going to be fine, he was just overreacting.

Barry wastes time changing clothes from spares left in the guest bedroom. Len had insisted on him having a few changes in the house in case he had to stay over or couldn't get to his own house.  
The speedster had thought it a little ridiculous, considering they lived across the street from each other, but it turned out Len was right after all.  
When he comes out dressed, Worthy is no longer playing in the living room. Alarm spikes throughout Barry's body as he searches for his son, finally finding him back in Len's room. His son is holding Len's hand and patting it while talking softly to him.  
"Da, oo be a-good. Wov oo Da." the little boy repeats and Barry's eyes water.   
Len doesn't open his eyes. His chest rises and falls in his sleep, the rhythm occasionally interrupted with coughs.

Barry walks over to his son and picks him up again, "We have to let Daddy sleep, Wentworth." he tells the pout on his son's face, "You can come see him again later."  
"Paw-miss?" Worthy asks in a tiny voice. Barry kisses him on the forehead.  
"I promise."

There's a soft knock on the door as Barry carries Worthy down the stairs.  
"Dow!" Worthy point to it.  
"That should be Aunt Caitlin," Barry smiles, opening the door to reveal the female scientist, "I am so glad you're here."  
"Caylin!" Worthy wiggles out of Barry's arm to give the woman a hug, "Oo hep Da?"  
"Yes, Worthy," Caitlin crouches down to give the little boy a hug, "I'm going to make your Daddy feel all better."  
"Yay!" Worth cheers, pulling away from the hug to clap, "Dis way!"  
The toddler moves around Barry and starts climbing up the stairs back to Len's room.  
"He is remarkably perceptive," Caitlin says, amazed, rising from her crouch.  
"He gets it from Len," Barry shrugs, closing the door behind them as they both follow after the toddler.  
Wentworth, just like his father, never ceased to impress Barry.

"Da! Caylin heya!" Wentworth announces as he opens the door to Len's room and walks in. Caitlin follows the toddler, Barry at her heels.  
Len stirs, opening his eyes slightly, "Doc."  
"Miss me already?" Caitlin smiles, putting a black bag on the bed Barry hadn't noticed she brought, "We just saw each other last week."  
Len shrugs, his eyes already closing again, "Not my fault."  
He breaks into another fit of coughs.  
"Okay, I want you to relax," Caitlin pulls out her stethoscope, "I'll check your lungs first, then we'll move on from there."

Caitlin checks Len's lungs, blood pressure, temperature and pulse. She doesn't say anything, merely marking her findings down in a small notepad. When she finishes she turns a kind smile to Barry.  
"You can stop stressing out, Barry, it's nothing more than a flu."  
"Wha?" Barry runs a hand through his hair, pretending that he hadn't crowded the scientist as she checked Len over.   
Caitlin rolls her eyes, "Honestly."  
"But he felt so hot when I got here!" Barry protests as his cheeks heat up, "And he's breathing really hard and his voice sounds really off."  
"A temperature is the body's natural way to fight off a virus," Caitlin explains, putting her things away in the black bag, "As long as the human body doesn't exceed 104 degrees you're fine. Len's only at 100. There's some congestion and mucus which is affecting his voice and breathing."  
"So, he just needs something over-the-counter?" Barry tries to remember where Len keeps the medication.  
"I'll get it," Caitlin places a comforting hand on the speedster, "You just stay here and keep an eye on things."

Caitlin pats Barry's arm before walking out of the room to get the medicine.  
Wentworth looks up to Barry with a smile, "Caylin may Da a-good."  
"Yeah," Barry smiles back, "She's really good at that."  
Len snorts and Barry looks at him. The other man's staring at him with a smirk.  
"What?" Barry asks slowly, worried at the look he's getting.  
"Your face," Len croaks.  
Barry crosses his arms, offended, "What about my face."  
"Always so worried," Len sighs, eyes closing again, "Tired."  
"Don't sleep yet!" Caitlin orders, striding back into the room, "Take this first."  
She helps Len sit up to take the colorful pills and sip some water, then eases him back down.  
"Thanks," Len says, trying to hold back a cough but failing.  
"You're welcome," Caitlin puts her hand to his forehead and he doesn't try to remove it, "If you start feeling any other symptoms, or you start to feel worse, make sure you tell someone."  
Len huffs a laugh, but nods, "Yes, mom."  
Caitlin smiles and turns to herd Barry and Worthy out of the room. 

Back downstairs, the scientist turns to the speedster, "He needs to drink plenty of liquids and take the medicine every four hours."  
"Got it," Barry nods, "What about Wentworth? Is it safe for him to be in the house?"  
Caitlin bites her lip, "Well, he already had this kind of flu, but it would be safer if we could get him out of the house until Len's fever breaks at least."  
"Maybe Aunt Caitlin can take him for a few hours until Grandpa Joe gets off his shift at the CCPD?" Barry asks, head bowed slightly as he pleads with the woman.  
"Oh, Barry," Caitlin laughs, smacking him in the arm, "Of course I'll help! What is family for?"  
'Family' the word was like a drug to Barry. He smiles widely at Caitlin, "Thanks."  
"Caylin, Da a-good?" Wentworth asks, tugging on the scientist's skirt.  
"Not yet, honey," Caitlin smiles down at the little boy, "But Barry Daddy will take good care of him while you and I get to go on an adventure."  
Wentworth frowns, "No."  
"Worthy," Barry kneels down in front of his son, "I know your worried, but Daddy will be just fine. Trust me. You'll have a great time with Aunt Caitlin and Grandpa Joe."  
"Day may Da a-good?" his son looks at him, brow furrowed as if trying to figure out whether it will be safe to leave one dad to take care of the other.  
Barry puts one hand over his heart and raises the other, "I promise to take care of Daddy until he is all better and can play with Wentworth again."  
Wentworth purses his lips together tightly for a second, then nods, "Tay."

Barry and his son shake hands and Caitlin huffs a laugh at the door.  
"What an amazing little boy," she shakes her head in amazement.  
"He's going to be more clever than the lot of us by the time he's ten," Barry laughs, standing again. He looks to the black bag in Caitlin's hand, "Is that a bona fide doctor's bag, Caitlin?"  
"Oh," Caitlin blushes a little, lifting the bag as if she has to see it to know for herself, "Yes, yes it is. Len gave it to me for my last birthday. Well, all of the Snarts did, according to the card, but Lisa made sure I knew he had picked it out himself."  
"That's really cool," Barry smiles.   
His watch beeps and he checks it with a sigh, "Wow, I better call Joe so he can cover for me and to let him know what's going on."  
"Cover for you?" Caitlin asks, raising an eyebrow.  
"Yeah," Barry chuckles nervously, "I kind of ran out of there pretty fast."  
"Barry," Caitlin groans, "Please tell me you didn't use your super speed inside a police precinct with security cameras?"  
"I would, but I hate lying to you," Barry tries to joke, but Caitlin isn't smiling.  
"Barry," she looks at him pointedly.  
"I'll get Joe to look into the camera footage too," Barry assures her, "Don't worry. No one saw me, I'm sure."  
Caitlin sighs, but lets the matter drop. Worthy is holding Leo and staring at her expectantly. She smiles at him, offering him her hand, "Let's go get something to eat."

Barry waves at them as they drive off. When he can no longer see Caitlin's car, he closes the door and calls Joe before heading back upstairs.  
Len is coughing less, his breathing barely interrupted as his chest rises and lowers.  
Barry takes a moment to watch Len sleep. His own heart finally stops beating wildly in his chest as reality settles in.  
Len's okay. There's no danger. Just the flu.  
If only he could transfer his healing abilities to the other man. 

The books are back on the shelf and alphabetized when Len stirs again. Barry's head shoots up to watch the other man groan and adjust himself in the bed.  
"Do you need anything?" Barry asks, getting off the floor and moving to the side of the bed, "Are you thirsty? Hungry?"  
"Why are you still here?" Len's voice is still gravely, but he isn't interrupted with coughs or sneezes.  
"Caitlin put me in charge of keeping you hydrated and medicated," Barry smiles, "You've got another hour before you get any more medicine, but I can get you water or juice? Maybe some crackers or soup?"  
"I thought you were going to take our son to your house," Len frowns.  
"Caitlin has him for now. Joe will watch him at my house tonight," Barry explains.  
"That's not what you said, Barry," Len finishes with one loud cough.  
"Len, Caitlin is more than capable of taking care of Wentworth and Joe's watched him overnight several times," the speedster shakes his head, "Honestly, you can trust our family to take care of our son."  
Len huffs a breath and squeezes his eyes closed tight, "Sorry."  
Barry smirks, "You're sick, nothing you say can be used against you in the future."

Len manages two crackers and a juice box before taking more medicine and falling asleep again. Barry cleans the house for something to do and makes sure to check on the man every hour.  
When Barry's certain Len's deeply asleep after his second dose of medicine he puts his hand to the other's forehead and smiles when it doesn't feel hot.  
Joe texts Barry a picture of a sleeping Wentworth later that night and it puts the speedster even more at ease.

 

The next day, Len has stopped sneezing completely and only has a slight cough.   
Caitlin checks on him and smiles at his progress.  
"One more day of bed rest and you'll be cleared for duty," she tells him.  
"Hooray for modern medicine," Len says dryly. His color is better as well, even though his cheeks and nose are still a little red.  
"Da!" Wentworth runs into the room and climbs into his father's bed to give him a hug, "Day may a-good!"  
"Barry is an exceptional nurse," Len hugs his son back, "Maybe we should get him a little white nurses hat as a thank you?"  
"Hat!" Worthy cheers, clapping his hands.  
"No, no-no, I'm good," Barry's cheeks redden at the thought of wearing the thing, "I prefer my head hatless."  
Caitlin giggles at Worthy's pout while Len chuckles.


	2. Len

Wentworth had a pretty bad cold for two days and it was such a relief to have Caitlin available to check in on his son. Len hated it when Wentworth was sick. The wet coughs burned holes in his heart and there was nothing he could do to make his little boy feel better.  
Then it was over and the world felt like it was turning at its normal speed again.

Cisco invites Lisa on a couples cruise and his sister almost doesn't go, but Len makes sure she does. As much as he hated their lovey-dovey acts, the genius was good for his sister. They deserved some time alone...far, far away from Len.

Murphy's law started to intervene then and Len felt himself getting weaker as the days passed. Lisa would be back by next week. He probably just had what Wentworth did. He'd most likely have to deal with a runny nose or a cough then he'd get over it.

He didn't get over it.

He's in his room with his son. Wentworth has pulled every book off the shelf to make his own organized piles around him and his stuffed lion.   
Len coughs twice then sneezes three times in a row.  
"Bess oo!" Wentworth shouts, not even looking his way.  
"Thanks," he croaks and hates the way it feels to talk, not to mention the effect it has on his voice.  
He stands on the other side of the room in an attempt to keep the little boy from getting sick again. It's ridiculous and he knows there's no way he can handle this without help.   
Len wasn't a fan of asking for help, but a father's got to do what a father's got to do.  
Speaking of fathers, Len pulls out his phone and calls Barry.

It rings for a while and his vision blurs. Squinting, Len shakes his head to clear it.  
"Hello?" Barry finally answers and Len smiles.  
"Barry," his breathing is a little difficult, like there's something inside his chest between his lungs, "I need you-"  
'-to come here' doesn't get said because a vicious sneeze catches him off guard and he drops the phone.   
Groaning, Len picks the device back up and he groans louder when he sees the shattered screen. His head spins, forcing him to crawl into bed. The speedster will probably rush over here as soon as he can catch a moment and Wentworth is smart enough not to wander off without him.  
"Len!" Barry's voice shouts from downstairs. He didn't expect to hear the man's voice so soon. Had it even been three minutes?   
"Len!" Barry repeats, this time upstairs. He sounds extremely worried.  
"Ba-Achoo!" Len tries to call out to the other man, but he's thwarted with another sneeze. As he reaches for a tissue, Barry flashes to the doorway.  
The other man's clothes are half burned.

"Day!" their son greets Barry with a smile and wave.  
"Hey, buddy," Barry sags against the doorframe, "You're okay."  
"Sorry, Barry," Len tries to speak, "I broke my phone" -Achoo!- "when I called you and didn't" -Achoo!- "know the number for" -Achoo!- "your lab."  
The sneezing was annoying. He can feel the sweat on his face even though it's absolutely freezing in his bedroom.  
"What happened to you?" Barry is at his side in three long strides. He puts a hand to his forehead and grimaces, "Woah, you're really sick."  
Len pushes Barry's hand away, angry at how hard the simple movement is. Barry's eyes grow wider, "I didn't call you" -Achoo!- "here for me."  
Barry hands Len another tissue and he smiles his thanks since he can't seem to get complete sentences out.

"What do you mean? You're sick! Someone should be here to take care of you!"   
For such a smart kid, Barry could really be thick at times. Len shakes his head.  
"Wentworth," Len croaks, trying to tell the other man his request in as few words as possible, "Take care of him."  
He breaks into a coughing fit regardless of his best efforts. At least he wasn't sneezing.  
"He seems fine to me," Barry frowns, Len wanted to hit him, "You're the one who looks miserable."  
Len sighs shaking his head, honestly, "I don't want" -Cough- "him to get sick" -Cough, Cough- "again."  
Being sick was horrible. Someone needs to invent a super immune system booster. Maybe he could get Cisco and Caitlin on it?  
Barry speeds him a notebook and pen to use, "Here."  
Len smiles, the kid was finally using that big brain of his. He takes the pen to write:   
"Wentworth just got over a bad cold. I don't want him getting sick again. Lisa is away with Cisco. Please, take our son to your house until I'm better."

The pen's getting heavier in Len's hand. The coughing has made the balloon in his chest expand and his head feels like a brick. His eyes are trying to close and it's all he can do to keep them half open.   
"There's no way I'm leaving you alone, Len," Barry tells him firmly, "I'm calling Caitlin over and when she gets here I'll take Worthy to my place."  
He opens his mouth to argue, but Barry raises a hand to stop him, "I'm not going to change my mind, so you might as well save your strength."  
Len rolls his eyes. If the kid wanted to waste the good doctor's time, then fine. He's far too tired to argue about it so he nods, looking over to Worthy in an attempt to stay awake.   
There's a light touch in his shoulder and Len turns to look at Barry. The speedster smiles slightly at him, "Get some rest. I'll be right here."  
His body is all for that idea so Len tries to nod. It's barely a nod at all, but his eyes drift closed and his shoulders slump, sleep finally claiming him.

He dreams of Wentworth and Barry, coughs occasionally shaking him. There's a sensation on his hand he can't pin point, but it's nice and he drifts back to deeper sleep without waking. 

An especially bad cough wakes him to semi-consciousness.  
"Da! Caylin heya!" Wentworth's loud voice brings him fully out of sleep.   
He stirs, forcing his eyes open as much as he can. He recognizes Caitlin, "Doc."  
"Miss me already?" Caitlin smiles at him, putting the black doctor's bag he got her on the bed, "We just saw each other last week."  
Len shrugs, his eyes are already closing, "Not my fault."  
Those were three words too many and he breaks into another fit of coughs.  
"Okay, I want you to relax," Caitlin pulls out her stethoscope, "I'll check your lungs first, then we'll move on from there."

Caitlin checks his lungs, blood pressure, temperature and pulse. She doesn't say anything, so it must not be bad news. Len manages to notice Barry's changed clothes but otherwise can't keep his eyes open. Did he get those from the spare room? He told the younger man they would come in handy.  
"You can stop stressing out, Barry, it's nothing more than a flu." Catlin says, making Len smirk.  
"Wha?" Barry sounds nervous.  
"Honestly." Len could have sword he heard her eye roll.  
"But he felt so hot when I got here!" Barry protests, "And he's breathing really hard and his voice sounds really off."  
"A temperature is the body's natural way to fight off a virus," Caitlin explains, "As long as the human body doesn't exceed 104 degrees you're fine. Len's only at 100. There's some congestion and mucus which is affecting his voice and breathing."  
"So, he just needs something over-the-counter?" Barry sounds lost. Did he know where Len kept the medications?  
"I'll get it," Caitlin volunteers, she definitely knew where they were, "You just stay here and keep an eye on things."

As Caitlin's steps out of the room Len manages to force his eyes open again.  
Wentworth is looking up to Barry with a smile, "Caylin may Da a-good."  
"Yeah," Barry smiles back, but there's something sad to it, "She's really good at that."  
Len snorts and Barry looks at him. He can't help glaring at the hero's worried look. An outsider would assume Len was on his death bed by the way Barry was staring at him.  
"What?" Barry asks slowly, face still pinched with worry.  
"Your face," Len croaks, hating how weak he sounds.  
Barry crosses his arms, "What about my face."  
"Always so worried," Len sighs. He wants to taunt the speedster some more, come up with something clever to say, but he's just too tired and his eyes are closing yet again, "Tired."  
"Don't sleep yet!" Caitlin orders, her steps loud in the room, "Take this first."  
She helps him sit up to take the colorful pills and sip some water, then eases him back down. Len doesn't fight her because she's already helped him before when he was wounded. Other than Lisa, Caitlin was perhaps the only person he would allow to help him like this.  
"Thanks," Len says, he tries to hold back a cough but it doesn't work.  
"You're welcome," Caitlin puts her hand to his forehead, "If you start feeling any other symptoms, or you start to feel worse, make sure you tell someone."  
It's ridiculous how the two of them want to treat him like a child. He huffs a laugh, but nods, "Yes, mom."  
Caitlin smiles and turns to herd Barry and Worthy out of the room. 

The coughs taper off and he finds it easier to stay in a deep sleep.

His stomach cramps a little, waking him with a groan. Len adjusts himself in the bed to alleviate the pain.  
"Do you need anything?" Barry's voice asks. That's not right. He's supposed to be at his own house with their son. Len opens his eyes as the other man asks, "Are you thirsty? Hungry?"  
"Why are you still here?" Len's voice is still horrible, but at least the coughing and sneezing has subsided.  
"Caitlin put me in charge of keeping you hydrated and medicated," Barry smiles, "You've got another hour before you get any more medicine, but I can get you water or juice? Maybe some crackers or soup?"  
"I thought you were going to take our son to your house," Len frowns. What was the man thinking? Was Wentworth downstairs alone? Their boy was smart, but even smart kids did dumb things when left alone.  
"Caitlin has him for now. Joe will watch him at my house tonight," Barry explains like it's the simplest thing in the word. It's not simple, this is life.  
"That's not what you said, Barry," a loud cough finishes his words for him.   
"Len, Caitlin is more than capable of taking care of Wentworth and Joe's watched him overnight several times," Barry shakes his head, "Honestly, you can trust our family to take care of our son."  
'Our family.' Even after all this time, the word was still strange to Len. What Lisa and he grew up with wasn't a 'family.' What he had here, with Barry and the others...  
Len huffs a breath and squeezes his eyes closed tight, "Sorry."  
"You're sick, nothing you say can be used against you in the future."

Barry brings him a sleeve of crackers and a whole pack of juice boxes. He manages two crackers and a juice box, all the while feeling back for his son knowing they were his favorite.  
Afterwards, Barry gives him another dose of medicine and as he settles in bed to fall back to sleep he glances over to the book shelf and notices the books are back.   
Barry's been busy.

Len has a strange dream of himself lying under an enormous apple tree as the sun shines brightly on his face. Lisa and Wentworth are playing in a nearby brook and laughing as the water splashes in their faces. The wind blows a soft breeze through the branches and one of the lower hanging ones touch his forehead. It almost feels real.

 

The next day, the sneezing has stopped completely he only has a slight cough.   
Caitlin checks on him and smiles at his progress.  
"One more day of bed rest and you'll be cleared for duty," she tells him.  
"Hooray for modern medicine," Len says dryly. He resolutely decides to take vitamin C supplements in the future so this never happens to him again.  
"Da!" Wentworth runs into the room and climbs onto his bed to give him a hug, "Day may a-good!"  
"Barry is an exceptional nurse," Len hugs his son back, just having the little boy in his arms was better than any medicine in the world.  
His devious mind has him saying, "Maybe we should get him a little white nurses hat as a thank you?"  
"Hat!" Worthy cheers, clapping his hands.  
"No, no-no, I'm good," Barry's cheeks redden, he was so easy to tease, "I prefer my head hatless."  
Len chuckles at their son's pout and Caitlin giggles.

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the show, nor the characters.


End file.
